An ecstatic Britney Spears posted video of herself doing cartwheels after winning a key court battle.
As fans cheered outside a Los Angeles courtroom, Britney Spears won a key battle Wednesday in her war to end the 13-year conservatorship that controls virtually every aspect of her life.
For the first time, Spears won the right to hire an attorney of her choosing in an ongoing fight to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from running a conservatorship secured in 2008, after the singer experienced mental health issues.
The pop star chose former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart, who has also represented celebrities including Steven Spielberg and Sean Penn.
Speaking by phone, the singer said she feared her father.
“I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse,” she said. Breaking down in tears, Spears said she wanted her father investigated and said, “this conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.”
She told the court she had been forced to work 70 hours per week and that every part of her life was controlled, including what she is allowed to eat.
"Their goal was to make me feel crazy, and I'm not," she said. "And that's not OK."
Rosengart spoke briefly, telling Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny it was clear "this isn't working" and that he intends to file a court petition to end the conservatorship.
The attorney also said dad Jamie Spears should remove himself from the case.
“If he loves his daughter, it is time to step aside — to move forward," Rosengart said.
But lawyer Vivian Thoreen, who represents Jamie Spears, told the court there is no reason for the father to step down and said Britney Spears has made "misstatements" in her testimony. It is "simply not true" that the singer's dad is responsible for her concerns, the attorney said.
Jamie Spears has previously said he has only his daughter's best interest at heart and that she was allowed to make her own medical decisions. He denied her allegations of abuse.
Last month, Britney Spears phoned into a court hearing regarding her conservatorship and demanded to speak in her defense, and that her testimony be made public. It was the first time she had publicly addressed the court on her own behalf.
She had been intimidated from challenging the conservatorship, she said, and forced to undergo medical procedures including having an IUD birth control device inserted to prevent her from having more children. She has two sons, Sean Preston, 15, and Jayden James, 14. She also alleged she had been forced to take mind-altering medication that made her ill, and made to perform in concerts that generated great income she had no access to.
"The main reason why I'm here is I want to end the conservatorship without having to be evaluated," Britney told the court at the time. "I shouldn't be in a conservatorship if I can work and provide for myself and pay other people. It makes no sense. The laws need to change. I've worked since I was 17 years old."
Since then, her original attorney has resigned, as has her longtime manager and a financial investment firm that was the co-conservator of her estate.
After Wednesday's court hearing, Britney Spears took to Instagram to thank the #FreeBritney movement and to share her joy with the decision.
"Thank you to my fans who are supporting me … You have no idea what it means to me to be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!!" she posted, along with videos of her riding a horse and turning cartwheels.
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